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Jacksonville Library Information

America? v.15

Posted by Matthew Moyer on April 22, 2010

You could make a very convincing case that your library’s Zine Committee is totally in the tank for Travis Fristoe. He was one of our first interviews and we hosted him for a reading in February. (Shame on you if you missed it!) But if you read any of the work by the Gainesville musician/librarian, you’ll quickly understand why. His America? mini-zine consistently proves that good things come in quarter-page packages; it’s a mix of excellent interviews and music writing and concise, Carver-esque personal writings.

The lengthy interview with reggae legend (and Clash DJ) Mikey Dread yielded surprise after surprise (why didn’t MOJO ever talk to him?), while Fristoe’s conversation with noise duo Japanther was inspiring in a get out and do it yourself way, unlike most interviews that focus on their “extracurricular” activities. There are a bunch of crudely drawn, yet charming comics, to illustrate his personal anecdotes, and the graphics are pure cut-and-paste DIY chaos. Just how a zine should be.

Somehow Fristoe’s writings about Gainesville always make me appreciate living in Florida a little bit more. No mean feat.